How to make a sourdough starter

Lockdown appears to be a great time to spend extra effort when making food. Friends might be telling you how they are making bread or pasta from scratch and you want to get in on the action.

Sourdough’s naturally sour taste comes from the kind of yeast used in its production. This, called the sourdough starter, is left to ferment for longer. This builds up lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli and means the bread lasts longer as well.

A little more complicated to make, but very rewarding. Since they improve with time and longer fermentation, some have this passed down from generations of bread-makers, but the rest of us need to make it ourselves.